Probable Foundation IVe siècle av. J.-C. (≈ 351 av. J.-C.)
Created by the Salyens under Greek influence.
125–123 av. J.-C.
Final withdrawal
Final withdrawal 125–123 av. J.-C. (≈ 124 av. J.-C.)
Roman campaigns of Caius Sextius Calvinus.
1904
First identification
First identification 1904 (≈ 1904)
Double speakers spotted by Isidore Gilles.
1980–1985
Roth-Congès
Roth-Congès 1980–1985 (≈ 1983)
Dating Fifth–IIth century BC.
21 mai 1992
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 21 mai 1992 (≈ 1992)
Protection of archaeological remains.
2010
Archaeological summary
Archaeological summary 2010 (≈ 2010)
Research by Nicolas Portalier.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Oppidum, including archaeological remains (C 1359, 1361, 1481, 978): inscription by order of 21 May 1992
Key figures
Caius Sextius Calvinus - Roman General
Head of the 125–123 BC Campaigns.
Isidore Gilles - Archaeologist
Identifies the double enclosure in 1904.
Nicolas Portalier - Archaeologist
Directs the 2010 synthesis.
Origin and history
The Ost Head (or Ost Test) is a Celto-Ligurian archaeological site located on a limestone hill in the Bouches-du-Rhône in Mimet, overlooking the valleys towards Gardanne and Aix-en-Provence. Founded probably in the fourth century BC, it was occupied by the tribe of the Salyans, whose economy and culture evolved under the influence of the Greeks of Massalia (Marseille) and the Phoceans, before the arrival of the Romans. The excavations reveal mixed furniture (Etruscan ceramics, Greeks, metal objects) attesting to intense exchanges, despite a defensive retreat on less fertile land.
The site, abandoned after three centuries of occupation, shows traces of partial destruction before its definitive decline around 125–123 B.C., during the Roman campaigns led by Caius Sextius Calvinus. Its stone ramparts, punctuated by nine towers, and its interior buildings leaned on the steep relief. A double enclosure, identified as early as 1904 by Isidore Gilles, protected the oppidum, accessible by a pass to the south via a bayonet path. The excavations (1980–1985, 2010) confirmed his occupation from the fifth to the second century BC.
It is part of a regional defensive network, facing other sites such as Entremont or those of the Sainte-Victoire. Its architecture combines small and medium limestone apparatus, with large block foundations and parts probably high in bricks. The remains include a central circular tower, terrace walls, and rare artifacts (attic cuttingfragments, Apollo bronzes and bulls). Ranked Historic Monument in 1992, the site remains partially accessible, mixed property (municipal and private).
Recent research (Nicolas Portalier, 2010) has refined mapping and confirmed its role in pre-Roman dynamics. Limited furniture (monochrome grey ceramics, metal objects) suggests a primarily strategic and commercial occupation, in a context of tensions between natives, Greeks and Romans. The abandonment coincides with the gradual submission of the Salyens, marking the end of the independent oppida in Provence.
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